Mile High Report
The Denver Broncos took care of business as heavy favorites last week, while the Los Angeles Chargers did not giving the Broncos their first AFC West championship since the 2015 season. With the Chargers locked in with a Wild Card spot, they don’t really have a ton to play for next week. Could that decision help Denver secure the AFC’s top seed heading into the playoffs?
According to FanDuel, the Broncos are 6.5-point home favorites over the Chargers in Week 18. The over/under stands at 40.5 for this matchup.
Denver Broncos vs. Los Angeles Chargers Sunday, January 4, 2026 at 2:25 P.M. Mile High time
Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado
ATS Betting Lines: Denver -6.5
Moneyline Odds: Denver -320 / Los Angeles +260
Over/Under: 40.5
The line suggests that oddsmakers expect Denver to compete with all of their starters to get that top seed, while the Chargers are expected to rest their key starters. After their game on Saturday, Head Coach Jim Harbaugh declined to answer a question about whether or not they planned to rest any starters. That decision apparently hasn’t been made yet.
There isn’t much for them to risk in playing. The five seed is in play, but they’d need some variation of other teams losing. The six and seven seeds are the most likely reason to play. Why risk major injury when you are not really moving the need? That said, the Broncos still need to go out and perform. They can play a bit up or down to their competition at times. Would love to see them just go out and take over the game early in this one.
What are your predictions for the Broncos-Chargers game in Week 18?
